Ahead of their fourth ODI against the Windies, England head coach Trevor Bayliss has heaped praises of the hosts by backing them to be the dark horses for the World Cup.
Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP
Windies have been dealt a massive boost as we get closer to the tournament, with some of their marquee man in Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell returning to the team. While the power hitter Gayle and stylish Bravo have been playing against England in the Ongoing series, Russell has been called for the final two games, replacing the injured Kemar Roach.
Windies, who are yet to win a bilateral series for almost five years, sit ninth in the ODI ranking, but Bayliss is of the belief that if their batsmen manage to spell the magic in England, they can well and truly grab their hands on the Coveted World Cup trophy.
"The Windies have been playing some decent cricket over the last 18 months," said Bayliss. "With the size of their batters and the way some of them hit the ball, there can be a chance of winning that World Cup."
Marking a brilliant comeback in the ongoing five-match ODI series, the Windies have garnered several accolades of late, with their interim coach Richard Pybus praising their resilience.
"I know the right West Indies combination with a fully-focused side can beat anyone on their day," Richard Pybus said. "I wasn't at the World Cup qualifiers but, with the group of guys we have now, we feel confident (we) could take down anyone on their day."
Commenting further, Pybus also highlighted Chris Gayle's importance by mentioning his two brilliant knocks in first and second ODI.
"I can't always on the selectors, but I think Chris has put forward a very resounding case. He's just class, really. It's always great guys in your side, who are a bit scary for the opposition, who know Full well what they can deliver.
"In those first two games, Chris was getting a feel for a spongy wicket batting first. It can be a game of two halves in Barbados. He was playing himself through. But, as we have all seen in T20, he can attack that First powerplay brutally. On good wickets, he'll be going hard pretty early."
